


Trust

by Writerleft



Series: Comes Marching Home [73]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Domestic, F/F, Korrasami Month 2019, Married Life, Trust, adult daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 02:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19097788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: Explain to me exactly why RAAVA wants a bunch of money?





	Trust

“Mom’s been over there a while?” Mian asked from the balcony, using the binoculars to check in on Korra in the rooftop park across the street.

“She does that, now and then,” Asami said, moving through her yoga poses. “Even with the Spirit Portal nearby, sometimes this is a much easier way to commune with the spirits. Other times, she wants to consult with Raava. Or just center herself when some crisis has gotten on her nerves.”

“Well, if there’s a crisis going on, nobody told me,” Mian said, setting the binoculars back on their spot on the balcony table and stepping back inside. “Is it safe for her to meditate alone over there?”

“She has for years,” Asami replied, bending forward, sending her tied-back hair flopping over her shoulder. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t be glaring at the couple of white pale strands.

“She used to have a giant polar bear dog watching out for her,” Mian replied. “Things change.”

That put any thought of greying hair out of Asami’s mind. She straightened. “You’re right… I should’ve thought of that.”

“You can’t think of everything, Mama,” Mian said, flopping onto the couch. “And that’s _not_ a challenge.”

Asami chuckled, but her gaze drifted toward the balcony. “I can’t think of everything, but I like to be prepared for anything. Even with the best intentions in life, things can go very badly very quickly.”

“And don’t think I haven’t appreciated the self-defense lessons,” Mian said. “Even if you won’t let me join a team of vigilantes to fight crime like my moms did.”

It was a running gag between them—though Asami Sato didn’t for a moment thing Mian would stand idly by if she witnessed some injustice going down, she wasn’t exactly cruising town looking for it. “Do as we say, not as we did.”

“I’d just as soon not take over the company at my age, either,” Mian shrugged. “Speaking of being prepared for anything… with Zinny going all spiritual and the fact that I rather can’t stand math, what _is_ the plan for Future Industries well down the line?”

“You’re not eager for an inheritance, are you?”

“Heck no, you two better live forever. But like you said about being ready for anything… Besides, Mom and I were talking about some stuff from my sociology class last night, and I’ve been pondering some longer-term stuff. But I guess she does that all the time.”

Asami caught sight of Korra taking off, airbending the glider back up to their balcony. “That she does.” If Korra and Mian had had one of their late night philosophical conversations, that was probably why Korra was so introspective. Mian came to her for wisdom—not many kids had the Avatar around to answer questions, after all—but when Korra didn’t have an answer, well…

“Hey,” Korra greeted, propping her glider staff up beside the door.

“Welcome back,” Asami said. “Chatting with Raava?”

“Arguing, actually,” Korra said, stretching her joints after sitting so long to meditate. “I convinced her to change her style a little, but only if you promised to help.”

Asami blinked. “Me?”

“She trusts you,” Korra smirked. “Part of her lives inside you, after all.”

“Maybe that part of Raava should talk to her herself,” Mian said.

“She’s free to call me anytime,” replied Asami, gesturing to the phone. “But until then, what was it she wants?”

“Well…” Korra said, knocking Mian’s legs off the couch so she could sit next to her. “Money. Lots of it.”

Asami and Mian both stared at her.

“Maybe I should explain.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Mian said, bringing her knees up onto the couch to give her full attention.

Asami pulled a chair from their breakfast nook, so she could watch them both. “Consider my curiosity piqued.”

Even in her forties, Korra blushed adorably when she was abashed. “Well… Mian, our conversation last night gave me the idea.”

“We talked about a lot of stuff, Mom. We always do.”

“Right… but the part about class and opportunity and all that. The part where you said it’s not too many orphans who wind up adopted by world leaders and billionaires.”

Mian chuckled. “Gotta admit, knowing you two picked me is a good self esteem boost whenever I need one.”

Asami leaned forward, taking Mian’s hand. Mian rolled her eyes, but squeezed back.

Korra smiled at them, but continued. “It was a good point, though. And it got me thinking. I’m the Avatar, and I married one of the wealthiest people in the world. My dad is the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe—would’ve been Chief of the North if not for Unalaq’s chicanery, but point is, I’m basically connected to royalty.

“Aang was a monk, theoretically there wasn’t much stratification in the Air Nomads, but he _was_ childhood friends with a future king, Bumi. Then who plucked him out of an iceberg? Two more kids of a Water Tribe Chief. Then he goes on to make good friends with Toph, of the super-rich Beifong family, not to mention Zuko…

“Let’s go back further. Roku. Literally grew up in the Fire Nation royal court, best friends with the Fire Prince before anybody knew who he was. That’s too much wealth and power to be a coincidence.”

Asami straightened. “Are you saying that was deliberate?”

Korra nodded. “That’s what Raava and I were hashing out. _Turns out_ , while she doesn’t manifest in the material world directly per se, she can have a gentle effect on the spiritual forces, sorta nudge people certain ways sometimes. She couldn’t make anybody be friends, but she could increase the likelihood that Avatars meet certain people at all.”

“Raava’s _classist_?” Mian asked.

“Mostly by accident, but kinda,” Korra said, scratching the back of her neck. “Never thought she’d be the embarrassing part of our partnership, but there we are.”

“What do you mean, by accident?” Asami asked.

Korra sighed, leaning forward onto her knees. “ _Well_ , while I’m not connected to any of the past Avatars anymore, Raava still remembers them, so she could tell me some stuff secondhand. And she remembers how much trouble early Avatars had maintaining balance, exerting any sort authority. Warlords and monarchs didn’t respond to anything but force, they just did their own thing. Time and again, she watched her Avatars have to navigate the rules of various ruling classes that had to be dragged kicking and screaming into making their own countries better.”

“…and Raava eventually figured out that would be easier if the Avatar was already connected to the ruling class themselves,” Asami said.

Korra nodded. “It wasn’t a perfect system, she couldn’t exactly time the Avatar’s rebirth with a high-status birth in the right nation on the right day all the time. But it did help establish the Avatars as a respected world leader in our own right.”

“Wow,” Mian said. “I mean, even that… we all talk about you like you’re a world leader, the same as any Chiefs or Presidents or whatever, but you don’t actually have any subjects. You can’t even ground _me_ anymore.”

“Oh, because we grounded you so often,” Korra teased back.

“Two things,” Asami said, leaning forward. “One—this is fascinating and also probably not something we should share with the world at large?”

“Yeah no that would go terribly.”

“Nobody’ll hear it from me.”

Asami nodded. “Two—what does this have to do with Raava having money?”

“Yes!” Korra snapped. “That. Raava and I agreed a long time ago it’s important that future Avatars get to have proper childhoods. Even if you get a precocious little brat like me, they need to have a regular life and have friends and everything. Well we’re just going to push that further, and make sure future Avatars don’t grow up separated from how regular people live. At the end of the day, they’re who we really need to be helping.”

Mian asked, “And the money’s for…”

“For still giving them a seat at the table,” Asami said. “With technology going like it is, one person being a powerful bender is going to distinguish them less and less. But give that bender a billion yuans…”

Korra opened her hands, leaning back into the couch. “As much as I’ve hated to admit it at time, sometimes throwing money around is way more effective than literally moving mountains. But this would have to be something that could last in perpetuity—we can’t have the very next Avatar growing up destitute then spending a billion yuans the first year they get it.”

“I’m… not sure you quite understand how difficult it would be to spend a billion yuans,” Asami chuckled. “But yes, it’ll take careful stewardship. Some sort of endowment, or trust… it would have to be blind, of course. Can’t have it look like the Avatar is favoring any given companies for their own financial gain.”

Korra grimaced—they’d been accused of as much many times. “Like I said, Raava trusts you. And considering what you set up for the k—”

“Chh!!” Asami rushed to shush her, but Korra was already wincing and they both knew it was too late.

“For the kids,” Mian said. “Okay, so you set up funds for me and Zin, that’s not exactly a surprise.”

Asami sighed. “I’ve… known many people, growing up in the circles I did—the sort Raava favored, let’s say. Kids that grew up knowing they never had to work an hour in their lives. It’s… difficult, for such people, to maintain perspective in the world.”

“You manage,” Mian said.

“She’s incredible,” Korra stated.

Asami snorted. “And it’s not like I haven’t messed it up. You all tease Korra about how many times I’ve had to save her bacon after some social _faux-pas_ , but she’s done the same for me more than a few times.”

“Well, then how about this,” Mian said. “Raava can have my inheritance.”

Korra’s head turned fast enough to flare her hair up. “That’s not what I meant!”

“Mian…” Asami said, leaning forward to squeeze her leg. “This idea is just taking shape, there’s plenty of funding sources—”

“That you can add in on top of it,” Mian shrugged. “Look, I know you two want to make sure I’m taken care of, but I don’t want to live my life waiting to be rich when I’m ninety.”

“Ninety?” Korra asked.

“Yeah—you two are both gonna hit at least a hundred, hundred ten, sorry you don’t have any choice in the matter Zin and I talked about it and that’s how it’s gotta be.”

Korra chuckled. Asami only became more somber. In her own life, at Mian’s age, she’d only had one parent left—and that, for only three more years. “What about being prepared for anything that comes?”

“The way to prepare for anything is to be adaptable, right?” Mian said. “I can defend myself, I’m not afraid of hard work. Plop me anywhere in the world tomorrow, not a yuan to my name, do you think I’d starve?”

Asami and Korra glanced at each other. Mian… wasn’t wrong, per se, but she had so much of the bravado Korra had brought with her when she’d first come to Republic City, all those years ago. Korra may not have starved… but she didn’t exactly prosper at first, either.”

“Besides,” Mian continued, “Zin’s going to be a monk or a sage or whatever, worst comes to worst, I’ll mooch off him.”

Korra snorted. “Why don’t you let us examine all the options first, okay, Nugget?”

“No,” Mian said. “No, now that we’re talking about this, I want a say. If it makes you happier not to cut me out entirely, then fine—leave me enough to buy a small place of my own somewhere. _Small_. Enough to eat for a few years, too, fine. Other than that… I’ll figure it out.”

“Mian—” Asami began.

“Okay,” Korra said.

It was Asami’s turn to whip her head around. “Okay?”

“Enough to buy a house is way more of a leg up than most people get,” Korra said. She turned her attention back to their daughter. Asami’s gaze followed. “She’s right. We expect everyone else in the world to take care of themselves. Can’t we trust our daughter to do the same?”

Asami turned to their daughter. Nineteen years old… Asami had been running a company at that age. She’d made mistakes… but she’d recovered from them, too. Grown from them.

Mian deserved the same chance.

“If you’re sure,” Asami said. “Then okay. And I don’t think I say enough how proud of you I am, so—"

Mian forced a cough. “Aww, don’t get all mushy on me,” she said, but she couldn’t meet either of their gazes as she stood, either. “Besides, this gives me the chance to call Zin and gloat about how mature I am. You guys want something to drink?”

They shook their heads, Asami taking Mian’s place on the couch. Her hand found Korra’s without a thought as they settled in next to each other, heads together, watching the young woman they’d raised move about the kitchen.

“I think we did a pretty good job,” Korra said.

“I think you’re right, Asami agreed. “A damned good job.”


End file.
